Cabinet debated civilian risks ahead of Bloody Sunday

The British government discussed the possibility of "numerous civilian casualties" in a military operation to restore law and order to Londonderry just weeks before Bloody Sunday, it emerged today.

The Bloody Sunday inquiry was told that a January 11 1972 cabinet meeting on Northern Ireland, chaired by the then prime minister, Sir Edward Heath, concluded: "As to Londonderry, a military operation to re-impose law and order would require seven battalions and would probably involve the commitment for a long time of four battalions to the city.

"It would be a major operation, necessarily involving numerous civilian casualties and thereby hardening even further the attitude of the Roman Catholic population."

But Sir Arthur Hockaday, who was then an adviser on Northern Ireland in the Cabinet Office, said it would be overstating matters to suggest that bloodshed was "anticipated" on Bloody Sunday.

Sir Edward, 86, was the Conservative prime minister on January 30 1972, when British paratroopers shot dead 13 unarmed men on a civil rights march.

The government believed there was a need for a political initiative to help resolve the problem of Londonderry's no-go areas.

There was no plan for a large-scale military operation to retake those areas in early 1972, the inquiry, sitting in London, was told.

Sir Arthur told the hearing it was believed the march would be largely peaceful, but that the possibility of gunfire could not be ruled out.

There was not any significant discussion on using lethal force at the march at another cabinet meeting on Northern Ireland on January 27, Sir Arthur said. But it was "inevitable" the security forces would have to return fire if they came under attack.

He told the inquiry: "There was of course then always the danger, simply as a matter of practical fact, that an innocent bystander might be hit."